Just hold out until the Awakening has been performed.

It was easy to think that when all we were looking at the second prior were the snowfields that surrounded the Grounds. The instant Fauder showed up again, though, it was clear that we'd missed most of the bodies underneath them. The crackling of frozen limbs and the moans of the Risen filled the air as dozens, maybe even over a hundred bodies fought their way out of the white and stared at us with hate-filled red eyes, so easy to pick out amongst the white.

Lucina and I were back on our feet within an instant, drawing our swords as the legion of Risen surged forward like a tidal wave. Another blast of dark magic from Fauder rushed forward like an arrow, heading straight toward a preoccupied Sumia. Luckily for her, Robin was on the scene, and looked as if he was ready to conclude unfinished business. Murder was in his eyes as Fulmen, no longer power by Sable but still a powerful weapon in its own right, seemingly cut the blast of dark magic in two, sending the two bits of it trailing off.

"It's a good thing you've arrived, father!" Robin snarled, a tome in his other hand as he twirled Fulmen in his right. "I was beginning to suspect we'd never meet again!"

"Impious child!" Fauder roared back, purple light gathering in both hands as he spoke. "Not only have you refused Grima's glorious offer once, but you have taken in that wretched child of Naga as your own! Were you not important for Lord Grima's full resurrection, I would have had you killed long ago; that mind of yours is too dangerous to our plans, too dangerous-!"

Lightning surged forward and struck Fauder in the chest. The Deadlord snarled like a mad dog as he staggered back from the blow, holding the area the lightning hit before sending an entire volley of dark magic towards Robin.

That's when I stopped paying attention; there was Risen to kill.

Sumia, Cynthia, and Lucina could handle themselves, so I left them to fight with Robin. He was in good hands surrounded by them. Meanwhile, I stuck close to the other side, guarded by Libra and Tharja. Gaius was around somewhere, too, but I had no idea where. The little fucker could disappear in the blink of an eye, especially when he was actually trying. The only indication that he was even around was the occasional arrow finding itself lodged in a Risen's chest before they even reached us.

"Blessed Naga!" Libra intoned, his shining axe savagely cutting a Risen's head off, while the man himself appeared almost completely nonplussed. "Grant me the strength to banish these heinous creatures from this holy site!"

"Your heart is in the right place, dear, but I think this is your strength alone," Tharja commented easily as her dark magic did its work. Risen almost seemed to wither away when they neared her, crumpling to the ground like dust while she appeared none the worse for wear. In fact, she ditched the mountain of cloth she surrounded herself in from before and simply wore her usual robe. Even with the power of dark magic flowing through her veins and warming her blood, the body stocking was staying off, it seemed.

"Let him pray!" I growled, Sol singing through the air as it pierced straight through a Risen's chest. The creature didn't die, though, and tried to paw at me like a mildly irritated cat. I shoved it off my blade and to the ground, where I stomped its head into black pudding. "I'll take any divine protection I can get right now!"

Tharja rolled her eyes at me but said nothing.

It was only a few more moments of fighting later that I felt something behind me again. I glanced back to see a light growing, amongst the darkness. The inside of the grounds almost appeared to be on fire, as if some joker took some oil and a match and lit the place up. I grew panicked for a moment before shoving that feeling down, hard. There was no room for panic, not in the middle of a battle. That's what led to death for the inexperienced.

As the light grew, however, I heard that roar again. The same one that echoed across the frozen battlefield when the Awakening first began. It sounded like something completely alien, yet familiar somehow in a way I couldn't nail down. Whatever it was, I didn't like the sound of it.

With Libra at my side, and Tharja and Gaius providing back-up, nothing got through us. Libra's axe swung through the air with impunity, and it hit with the force of an entire cavalry charge as Risen were swatted aside like ragdolls. Tharja's magic did wonders, with Risen still continuing to fall before they even had a chance to lay a finger on her. I saw arrows appearing out of thin air; Gaius' work. Brady looked to be fine if my occasional glance back was anything to go by.

That wasn't even getting into how Robin and Chrom's family were doing.

Robin himself was trading blows with Fauder, neither gaining the upper hand but from the looks of things, Robin was steadily gaining ground on the Deadlord. It was strange what a war could do to people, especially people like the Shepherds. When we first met the dastard, only Tiki could truly be a match for him. A few months later, and he was being pushed back by the most terrifyingly powerful man in the world, besides Chrom.

Sumia, Lucina, and Cynthia weren't slouches either. Luna cut and stabbed its way through several Risen with ease, such was its sharpness. Cynthia may have only had a standard spear, but even then she was tearing through the Risen with ease only matched by her sister with Parallel Falchion. The blade in question was alight with blue fire, the same kind I swore I saw back within the Grounds.

Even with all of our prowess, there was still one undeniable fact: there were too many of them.

"Where the fuck do they get all these bastards from!?" I snarled, blocking a blow from a rusted axe before forcing the weapon up and stabbing the Risen in the stomach with Sol. The creature growled, black blood dribbling from its mouth, but it wasn't dead yet. I pushed it back and swung upwards, severing its head from its body, causing it to disintegrate. "This is ridiculous!"

"Are you going to stand there and complain, fool, or are you going to do your job and keep fighting?" Tharja snidely replied, her magic glowing across the white snow.

"If we weren't in the middle of a fucking battle I'd kill you myself!" I roared, pushing several Risen off of me as they swarmed around us.

As much as we were impressive and all, there were still too many of them. They pushed past our lines and tried to get into the Grounds, which were glowing with greater intensity. I could feel the warmth behind me as the light grew, a pale blue to match Aether. It was like standing beside a bonfire, as the power surged. It was too much for the Risen who attempted to reach it, with it even disintegrating those that got too close.

They were too late. The Awakening wasn't finished yet, but there was no way they were breaching through the wall of holy energy that surrounded the grounds.

That didn't mean we were safe, though. The Risen that made it past our line attempted to kill Brady. The priest was defenseless as far as I knew, and Gaius was preoccupied with keeping any more from overwhelming us. Luckily, just as they approached him, Brady showed that he wasn't truly defenseless.

A single Risen was flung away from him as he produced a tome from his robes.

Wind magic.

"That's right, ya purple-skinned dastards!" Brady barked a laugh as another Risen was sent careening into the snow nearby, cracking its skull against the ground and sending bits of rotten brain matter across the snow. "Ya think ya can take me on, huh!? I ain't defenseless anymore, ya gods' damned rotten meat sacks! Come at me! Get flung across the world like the worthless sacks of dark magic ya'll are!"

I couldn't help but chuckle a bit despite the battle going on. I didn't know Brady very well, but I could tell he was enjoying what he was doing, flinging Risen across the battlefield as if they were ragdolls.

My chuckling died down as I felt a shockwave force itself across the snowfield, plowing through the snow and obscuring my vision for a few moment. I looked over to see Robin and Fauder locked in deadly magical combat, their attempts at killing each other growing more destructive and dangerous the longer it went on. With each volley of dark magic Fauder sent his way, Robin countered with equally powerful lightning and force. If anything, it looked as if he was gaining on the Deadlord, trying to get as close as possible.

I instructed Robin on swordplay. Well, as much as I could with my own limited knowledge. He learned fast, of course, not only because he was a veritable genius, but because he was just relearning old skills. And from what I was seeing, he was trying to get as close as possible to strike Fauder down with Fulmen.

A good idea, if it wasn't so damn dangerous.

I had half a mind to make my way over to him and protect him, but I knew I had no place in a battle like that. I had no way to protect against magic. If I got hit but I single stray bolt of lightning or dark magic, I'd be down for the count, either too wounded to fight or dead. I couldn't do that. Not with all the promises I'd made.

It didn't seem as if Robin really needed my help, either. He continued to gain ground, drawing himself closer to the Deadlord step after step. Before long, two massive bolts of magic met each other again, sending another shockwave across the snow.

"Impressive! Very impressive, my son!" Fauder laughed, his voice sending chills down my spine. "You would make a fine vessel indeed if only you would rid yourselves of these fools and come to my side!"

"In the words of my retainer, 'go fuck yourself'." Robin replied, pointing Fulmen directly at Fauder. "You're not my father; I have no father. You're just a puppet for Grima. A servant. I'd never join you, nor will I surrender myself to a draconic abomination hellbent on destroying the world."

"Destroy? Is that what you truly think?" I could almost see the smirk in the darkness Fauder's hood provided. "You have been with these servants of Naga for far too long if you believe that is Lord Grima's plan for this sinful, wretched world. But I can see that you will not be swayed by my words so long as they continue to cloud your mind with lies. Playtime is over now, young fools. Enjoy one of Lord Grima's last gifts!"

That same roar I heard just as the battle began, and even before then when Fauder first showed up, echoed across the snowfield again. The Risen stayed in a circle around us, not attempting to assault us any longer while something lurked in the white that surrounded us. Our vision was fogged by the snow, but something in the distance, slowly growing larger as it approached, caught my eye. Two red pinpricks were easily spotted, but that didn't matter when the thing moved so fast. It bolted out of the snow and directly towards the man next to me.

Libra didn't have time to move before he was pounced upon by a nightmare. A thing of rotten flesh and torn muscle that surged forward with speed I'd only seen once before. I heard the sound of crunching bone and tearing flesh as a scream of agony pierced through the air. I was dazed for only a second before coming to my senses.

I charged forward at the monster and rammed Sol into its midsection, spilling its black blood onto the white snow. I heard Tharja snarl behind me as a blast of dark magic sent the creature careening. It was sent away a few feet while I looped both arms behind Libra's-

One of his arms is gone.

I nearly stumbled before quickly regaining my footing and pulled the wounded priest up towards the Grounds, around where Brady stood. I only spared on glanced at Libra's body.

His left arm had been chewed clean off; all that was left was the bloody stump that oozed blood at an alarming rate. His lightly armored vestments had been stained red, and his green eyes flickered from me and to where his arm used to be. I winced, remembering how it felt for my right hand to be hacked off by a sword. I knew better than to say he might never see combat again, considering my own injuries at one point, but I wasn't even sure Libra was going to survive it.

"Brady! Brady, you greaser fuck, get over here! He's bleeding out!" I shouted, waving the future child over. He scurried toward me and put his tome away.

"Gods…" He mumbled out. "What in the seven hells got to 'em?"

I looked up to see the offender. Tharja was keeping it at bay, but it was clear I was going to have to intervene soon enough. The creature stood on its hind legs, showing its stomach of exposed ribs that looked like teeth. Its fur was matted and torn off, revealing the mottled peach and brown skin beneath. Its eyes glowed a different red than that of Yarne and Panne. These were unnatural, the same as all the human Risen that surrounded us. The thing opened its maw and let out a roar that shook my bones.

Taguel.

One of the last remnants of a race near-extinct stood before us, resurrected for Grima's cause.

"Take care of him, Brady. As best as you can." I ordered.

Brady waved, pulling his staff out and bathing Libra and green light. "Don't need to tell me twice."

I stood up and charged just as the taguel Risen did the same, straight towards Tharja. The dark mage readied another spell, but saw me at the last second and stopped herself. Just as the creature lunged forward, ready to sink its teeth into her flesh, I jumped forward and punched it directly in the face. Its muzzle flew to the side as it was thrown off course, and I felt a splash of warmth against my right arm as my iron hand sunk into its ugly mug.

I didn't have enough force to send it flying, but it was enough to change its trajectory all the same. A rush of pain surged through my right arm, but I kept up my onslaught all the same. I couldn't let it gain momentum again. I remembered Panne all those years ago in Castle Ylisse, hurling herself from the darkness and onto the Plegian dark mage. The same was true for the hulking undead monster before us.

Just as it was getting up, I was upon it. I slashed Sol across its muzzle, causing it to let out a scream so loud it felt as if it would burst my eardrums. It swiped me across the chest with its claws, tearing off my breastplate. No longer thinking and reacting purely based on instinct, I tackled the monster, sending us both to the snowy ground. I raised Sol high and stabbed it directly through the chest, but it wasn't enough. The thing snarled at me, red eyes filled with an animalistic hatred as it reared it back legs and struck me in the chest, sending me flying.

My ribs cracked from the blow as the wind was knocked out of me. I flew for a few feet before coming to a sudden stop as I slammed into the ground. I blinked, trying to catch my breath and looked down to see blood seeping out of the wounds on my chest, caused by the taguel's claws. Shifting my gaze upward, I saw the thing speeding toward me.

It never reached me, courtesy of an arrow straight through one of its eyes. Just like that, the thing fell forwards, carried by the momentum it'd built up. It tumbled for a while, tossing snow and dirt up as it finally came to a stop. Its body began disintegrating into the familiar purple fog that all Risen did when defeated, and after a moment, the only sign that it had been there at all were the tracks and signs in the snow.

"What's that, twice now, Sailor? Damn, I should start charging you for this," Gaius said as he sauntered on toward me. "Still, gave that thing a beating before it stopped playing games, huh?"

I let out an annoyed sigh. "Just help me up before the Risen start charging again, damnit."

Gaius wordlessly offered his hand to me, and I took it. Raising myself unsteadily to my feet, I took one step before falling to my knees and clutching at my chest.

Gaius nocked another arrow and hit a Risen right square in the face as it approached us. "Yeah, I don't think you're gonna be getting back up and at 'em with that kinda wound, Sailor. Especially with that other guy being all armless and all. Brady's good, but he ain't that good."

"Where's my sword?" I asked loudly, fumbling around in the snow. "Where is it? Where…?"

"It's right beside you," Gaius answered, trying to nock another arrow. His hand came back empty and he cursed, putting his bow away and taking out a dagger. "Out of arrows… damn. This ain't looking good."

"I fucked up, Gaius," My voice came out as a hoarse whisper as I pulled myself up, Sol in hand. "I fucked up bad, but I made a promise. I can't die here."

"Don't think you'll have to worry about that. Not while I'm here, at least. Heh."

I glared lightly at Gaius before looking around. "Where the hell did Tharja go? And why aren't the-?"

A loud 'boom' echoed across the snowfield as a wave of darkness washed over me. Tharja was there, holding the Risen back near single-handedly with the most murderous expression I'd ever seen across her face. I was wondering why the Risen weren't taking advantage of the gaping hole in our defenses the resurrected taguel caused. Turned out, Tharja was giving them hell.

"…Think we should help her?" I asked quietly.

Gaius shrugged. "Dunno. She seems to be doing fine on her own. Ah, but you wanted to help her, huh? Damn, here I thought you hated each other's guts."

I forced myself to take a step forward. "Well, yeah, but I don't think she deserves to fuckin' die, Gaius. I don't wish death on any of the Shepherds. Oh fuck, Libra! Is he-?"

"No time for that now!" Gaius suddenly shouted as a Risen came from behind and just missed his arm. Gaius snapped backward and thrust his dagger right between the creature's eyes, causing its red eyes to disappear within an instant, and a moment later, the body as well.

"Ah, fuck my life!" I growled, blocking a blow from a Risen's axe with Sol. Forcing the weapon to the side, I slashed my blade across the Risen's exposed midsection, disemboweling the purple monstrosity. That didn't kill it, though, as evidenced by the punch I received just afterward, forcefully turning my head to the side with the force. I spat out blood as I snarled and stabbed Sol right where I'd already slashed and forced it upwards, nicking the blade on several layers of rotted muscle and bone before finally releasing it right at the neck. The Risen died, then, disintegrated like so many of its comrades. "God fuck it all!"

Everyone else was doing just about as well as me, it seemed. Even Sumia, Cynthia, and Lucina were a bit worse for wear; I could see blood splatters across their armor, red like wine. Sumia looked as if she'd been slashed across the arm and leg with an axe, as she stumbled several times defending herself from the Risen, all the while Cynthia and Lucina stayed close, keeping their mother from further harm, only to come upon it themselves. Robin still dueled with Fauder, keeping the worst of the magic away from us. As far as I could tell, he was still winning, but I didn't know how long that would still be the case. Not with all the damage we'd suffered.

I couldn't lie to myself; things were looking bleak. I fell to my knees again, feeling fresh blood seep straight through my already stained gambeson. I let out breath, preparing myself for another onslaught of the dead.

It never came. They never had the chance to before an enormous pressure made itself known behind us, right inside the Grounds.

It'd been steadily building since the fighting first began, so much so that after I noticed it the first time, I'd almost completely forgotten about it. At that moment, though, it grew so much that it was almost too much to bear. It was like a huge weight had been placed upon my shoulders, and I had to shield my eyes from a light I couldn't see. I turned around anyway, determined to see what was happening.

The fighting stopped as the blue flames from earlier erupted outwards, spreading across the field of snow. It was like watching a forest fire and being unable to stop it. Nothing would be able to quell this flame. It was an unnatural, powerful thing. And yet, it was only a prelude to what happened next.

In a single instant, the biggest, loudest explosion echoed from the Grounds as the the light grew in intensity. I was thrown off my feet and landed on my back, knocking the wind out of me as something massive surged up from out of nowhere. It was a being of pure energy, of pure light. Eyes like galaxies shown through the darkness, and its translucent azure scales pierced through the world itself. A maw filled with swords of unimaginable sharpness opened, and a roar like that of a million people all shouting at once filled my ears and my head. Hands the size of buildings slammed into the ground as Risen too close to the entity were disintegrated within an instant. Its power was awesome, terrifying, unknowable. It was like looking at God himself.

Naga.

There was no doubt in my mind that I was looking at the personification of God. Even if I knew she would never accept being called such a thing, what was in front of us was something beyond humanity, beyond everything I'd ever seen. Even other dragons couldn't compare.

"No… No! Impossible!" I could hear Fauder screech like a banshee. Turning to him for just a moment, his body looked to be steaming. A roar of pain echoed as the light of Naga's body somehow grew more intense. "Lord Grima only accepts perfection! To have failed… False God! Eternal enemy! You have not won! You will never win! Your fate is destruction! Your future is damnation! There will be nothing left of you but dust and echoes, deceiver of man!"

Either Naga couldn't hear him or ignored him. All I truly knew was that Fauder could do nothing. There was nothing anyone could do to stop the monster in front of us. Naga swung her head upward, peering up at the sky for a single instant before opening her mouth far beyond what I thought possible.

The air itself vibrated as a beam of energy surged from her mouth and into the sky, piercing the clouds that covered the sky. It tore through them, cracking them open as if they were made of glass. Blue lines formed in them as they dissipated, revealing the sky for the first time in weeks. The sun shone again, beaming down at us. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like, to have the sun on my skin.

Naga began dissipating just as soon as the clouds were gone, but not before hanging her head, as if pointing towards something. Out of the light that spawned from the Grounds, he walked through.

Chrom hadn't been clad in armor when he was brought to the Grounds; it was too much for his ailing body. That didn't change as he walked out of them, but from the looks of things, he didn't need any. In one hand, he held the completed Fire Emblem, shining gold and with the colors of the five gemstones shimmering in the light. On the other, the Exalted Falchion. The blade of legend had been reborn, forged into something far greater than it used to be. It glowed with eternal fire, thrumming with power. Within the hole in the guard, a blue light shone.

The lord walked among us like a god among men. All traces of his curse had been removed. He stepped forward, ready for a fight.

And by god, did he get one.

The remained Risen surged upon him like a tidal wave, probably hoping he couldn't take them all at once. They were wrong. With one swipe of Falchion, several of the creatures fell, disintegrated within an instant by the legendary weapon's power. With each stroke of his hand, more fell.

Robin had bowed out by that point, stunned by the power on display. Fauder, however, had seemingly recovered from his earlier torture. The Deadlord snarled.

"And so the princeling lives! Do you think you can win just because you have the power of Naga on your side? Lord Grima will crush you, fools! All of you! And he has allowed me to be its deliverer! Die!" Fauder launched an orb of pure darkness towards Chrom. Chrom braced the Fire Emblem against it, and the magic harmlessly disappeared upon contact.

Fauder stammered before growling like a feral dog. "I will kill you! All of you! None of you will live this day!"

"I've had enough of you." Chrom said simply, twirling Falchion in his hand. "This is payback for the last few weeks!"

Chrom charged, and Fauder launched another volley of dark magic toward the lord. Like the first, they seemingly bounced off the Fire Emblem and dissipated into nothing. The power behind it was awe-inspiring. Chrom launched forward, Falchion at the ready-

Finally.

Falchion pierced through the Deadlord's chest, sizzling its flesh upon contact as it screamed. Chrom withdrew quickly as Fauder flailed wildly. When the Deadlord attempted a swipe at him, Chrom swung upwards and cut its hand off. After one last scream as Fauder held the stump where his hand had been, Chrom slashed across the Deadlord's midsection, and bisected him. The two halves fell to the ground, but Fauder was still there, gurgling.

I raised myself as the finishing blow was dealt: a clean stab straight through the head. What remained of Fauder's body disappeared into black smoke, just as all the Risen before it did.

And just like that, it was over. There were no more Risen; Chrom killed them all. Fauder, the Deadlord that had been a thorn in our side practically since the beginning of the Valmese War, was vanquished for good. The last remnants of Validar had been erased.

I let out a sigh of relief as I did my best to not fall over and pass out. I'd been in a lot of fights, but that one was probably one of the closest. If Chrom hadn't come out then and there, one of us likely would've died. Considering my injuries, and those of Libra and Sumia, I would've bet on one of us three. Speaking of, I saw Sumia, limp over to Chrom, holding her arm while Luna was still in her other hand.

"C-Chrom? You're… You're alright…" A small smile broke through. "I-I'm so glad…!"

Chrom blinked, turning around. He gasped seeing the state Sumia was in, and rushed forward, gathering her in a hug. "Sumia! Gods, what happened!? Are you alright!? I'm so sorry it took so long! I shouldn't have-!"

Sumia raised her good arm and wrapped it around Chrom's neck, bringing him as close to her as possible. "I'll be fine. I'm just… so, so glad that you're alive. If you had died, I wouldn't have…"

"Father!" Lucina exclaimed, bounding forward despite her own wounds. "What happened in there? Are you alright?"

Chrom looked around, both perplexed and seemingly stressed. "I'm fine, Lucina. Everything's fine. Even the sun is shining again! Where's Brady? Libra?"

I limped over myself, holding my chest. "Brady's with Libra right now. What happened to him ain't pretty."

Chrom turned to me. "Alex… Gods, we should've been quicker. If we hadn't taken so long, all your injuries could've been prevented. I'm… I'm sorry."

"It's no trouble!" Cynthia said cheerfully, hugging him from behind. "I'm just glad you're alright! Watching you waste away like that was…"

"Naga dispelled the curse," Chrom said, adjusting his tunic while patting Cynthia on the back. "I'll be fine, all of you. I promise. Right now I'm more concerned about all of you!"

"Heh. Don't worry about us. I don't think any of us have keeled over and died just yet. Not with a healer on the scene. Just, uh, maybe ask Naga to speed it up next time? I mean, don't get me wrong, that whole thing she did to get rid of the clouds and stuff, that was impressive. But, uh, yeah. I'm in a lot of pain right now." I croaked out, chuckling despite myself.

"Naga, it's a wonder you can stand," I heard Robin say as he walked up toward me. "That thing… that Risen taguel. I saw it."

Chrom raised a brow. "A Risen… taguel? Gods, I really, really wish we were quicker."

"Fucking nightmare is what it was!" I spat. "Bit Libra's arm off!"

"It what!?" Chrom exclaimed. "Where is he!?"

"Wherever Brady is," I supplied, turning around. "So… over there."

I pointed in the direction I saw them last. There I spotted them, Brady still hunched over Libra, with Tharja nearby, seemingly looking down at the wounded priest.

"I need to make sure he's okay!" Chrom declared, marching over as a cold wind blew across the ruined snowfield. "Gods, if I'm responsible for his death…"

His family followed, leaving Robin and me alone.

"…I can't believe it." Robin breathed, placing a hand to his chest.

I raised a brow at the tactician. "Can't believe what? That we won? That Fauder is dead?"

"Both," Robin replied, wiping his forehead. "Fauder has been on my mind ever since he appeared on our way to Rosanne all those months ago. He… He was my father, really, wasn't he? What was left of him?"

"Already told you that, but yeah," I rubbed the back of my neck before wincing and placing my hand against my chest again. "You've got a dark lineage, Robin, not gonna lie, but if you'll let me parrot what everyone else has been telling me: you're not like him. You're not the vessel of Grima or Validar's son to anyone that matters."

"I know, Alex. But I appreciate the sentiment," Robin sighed. "I'm just… just so relieved. To feel the sun on my skin again is something I never thought I'd love, but at this moment, I could stay out here forever and just gaze at the sky."

I snorted. "Getting all romantic on me, are you? Maybe you should keep that kinda talk for when you're stargazing with Tiki."

Robin chuckled. "Hmm. Yes, perhaps I'll even use the same line. Um, oh, where is she?"

I blinked and looked up to the grounds. "You try over there? Hell, maybe she's asleep."

"Gods, if she is…" Robin groaned, walking towards the Stonehenge-like structures. He turned back once. "Oh, and get that wound checked out as soon as you can. I doubt it feels pleasant."

I laughed, only to wince again and rub my chest. In all honesty, that only seemed to make the pain worse. "Y-Yeah, don't need to tell me twice…"

It felt as if light had been restored everywhere.

The world of greys and blacks that I'd known for over a month had completely disappeared once the Awakening had been performed. The world was brighter and more colorful than ever. Of course, once we made our way back to Archanea, I had no doubt our lives would be shrouded in darkness again, but until then, we could enjoy the sun on our skin and the warmth in our bodies once more, in spite of winter's grasp.

And on our way back to Wyval, to hopefully recover and plan our next move, the Fire Emblem and Exalted Falchion thrummed with power. Even when not in use, they had a glow to them that was hard to ignore. The glow of Falchion's edges alone was comforting, in a slightly scary way. It felt like if I got close enough to it, it'd burn me. Perhaps it would; I never found out.

That didn't mean everything was sunshine and rainbows, though. We'd suffered a fair few injuries. According to Brady, several of my ribs had been cracked, and a few organs ruptured, causing internal bleeding, and that wasn't even getting into the deep gouges in my chest. They were easy fixes, considering they hadn't gone on for too long, but the gouges in particular, the ones that had cut straight through my gambeson when my breastplate was torn from me, scarred over. I was scared to look in the mirror without a tunic on.

Those were just my injuries, too. Sumia suffered a broken arm and several slashes. Lucina and Cynthia had their own share of injuries. And Libra-

The poor fuck.

The priest was still alive, but his left arm had been completely severed. All that was left was a stump that stopped at just below his shoulder. It'd be difficult to mount a proper prosthetic for it so that it at least looked like he still had two arms.

Tharja visited him every day, while he was recovering. I knew they had something going on, obviously. Ever since I saw Noire's blonde hair. I decided to speak to Tharja one day. See if we could bury the hatchet, so to speak.

But all that would have to wait. We were welcomed within Wyval's walls as heroes again.

Vivien herself didn't come down to see us, but it was clear in the gazes of the people that we were seen as heroes. At least that was true for one city. One city out of tens of them. Grima was still out there. And as long as he was around, cities like Wyval would fall. The entire world would fall.

We weren't going to let that happen.

"Looking good by the way, Chrom," I gave the lord a thumbs up. "The Awakening really brought the color back to you. Look like a completely different man from the corpse we carted all the way here."

Chrom let out a dry laugh. "I'd hope so! Feel as if I could take on the entire continent as well. Perhaps I'll start with you?"

I crossed my arms. "You could try. But Awakening or no, I think we both know who'd win that battle."

"Yeah. Me."

I snorted. "Smartass."

"Are you two done?" Robin asked, his voice impatient. "We may have won that battle. We may have the Exalted Falchion and the completed Fire Emblem on our side now, but the true battle hasn't been won yet."

I rubbed the back of my neck as I gazed out the window, watching the light snowfall. We'd been given a small compound to work with during our stay, just enough to house us. It just so happened that it had the perfect room to hold a small council. A small council of us two idiots and one genius while everyone else was recovering from their wounds or out doing errands.

"Even in our hour of victory, you pull us down, my friend," Chrom chuckled. "I suppose I should be grateful for that, though. You're right; we can't get sidetracked now. Especially…" Chrom's face fell. "Especially with Ylisse still in Grima's clutches."

Robin averted his eyes from Chrom. "Of course. It's what I'm best at, after all, with you and the Khans as our leaders."

"Well, I mean, what's there to discuss, really?" I shrugged, gesturing to Chrom. "He's performed the Awakening. The Exalted Falchion is glowy as hell. The Fire Emblem's complete. What more do we need?"

"Troops. Supplies. Arms and armor," Robin listed off. "I could go on but that would be counterproductive. But first, Chrom, I want to know: did you speak with Naga? And if so, what did she tell you?"

Chrom leaned forward and laced his fingers together. "She wasn't the easiest to understand, Robin. Always seemed to talk in this strange, archaic way, which I suppose makes sense; she is a god, after all. Well, she seemed to take offense at being called that, for some reason."

I snorted, crossing my arms as I leaned back. "You didn't see what was saw when the Awakening was performed. If she's not a god, then she's the closest thing to it."

"Did she say anything about Grima?" Robin pressed. "Anything at all? Anything more we can do?"

Chrom shook his head as I looked away. "Nothing we didn't already know, my friend. Once we pierce his heart with Falchion, he will be sealed away for the next thousand years. I'm… I'm not all too comfortable with foisting this problem onto our descendants. It seems selfish somehow, but Naga told me that that is the best we can do. The only way to truly kill Grima is if he killed himself."

My lips thinned as Robin gave me a wary look. "Kill himself?"

Chrom nodded before chuckling humorlessly. "Yes. I don't suppose we can talk him into doing that, no matter how persuasive I can be."

Robin went silent for a second, his mouth covered by his clasped hands. "…Chrom, I'm Grima's vessel."

Chrom regarded Robin strangely as I began adjusting the fingers on my iron hand. "That you are. And I don't care if you are. You are my friend, Robin, and nothing, not even some pre-ordained fate can change what you've done or how you feel. The future has already changed, and I will not allow some Fell Dragon to use you as a flesh puppet."

I could see a small smile on Robin's lips, even though he was covering them. "Hah. Yes, Chrom, I know. I don't think I'll ever be able to properly thank you for all you've done for me. All of you. You, Alex, Tiki, and the rest of the Shepherds have made this life, as turbulent as its been, worth living."

"I don't like that tone, Robin," I said suddenly.

"What are you trying to get at?" Chrom asked.

"It's just a thought, but… if Grima can only be killed by himself, as you said Naga told you, then if I dealt the final blow… perhaps Grima would be destroyed for good," Robin said, each word making my heart beat faster.

"…Robin," Chrom said slowly, his voice grave. "What would that do to you? Would you-?"

Robin nodded solemnly. "I cannot say for sure, but I have a feeling that if I did that, I would pay the ultimate price."

"No," I said, my iron hand falling to the table. "You're not doing that."

"And what is the alternative?" Robin asked me. "To simply postpone doomsday? To, as Chrom put it, foist this problem onto our descendants?" He sighed. "The children time-traveled to stop Grima. He already won once. And we're to only sit here and hope that our descendants can do what we couldn't? Had I the choice, I'd rather he be completely destroyed, never to be seen again. If that opportunity presents itself, then I'll take it."

I leaned forward, my iron hand lightly scraping against the wooden table. "Is that it, Robin? Or do you just want to die?"

Robin's already pale skin somehow grew paler still. He almost looked like Chrom did while he was cursed. "What did you just say?"

"What would Tiki say to that?" I asked again. "Did you plan on telling her about this? That you planned on killing yourself again?"

"Alex, please, calm down," Chrom ordered, and I leaned back again, silently staring at Robin. "Robin, it doesn't have to be this way. You don't need to sacrifice yourself. Our bonds are strong enough to break through whatever Grima can throw at us, and the same can be true for those that follow us."

Robin looked at the table again, avoiding both our gazes. "…He's too dangerous to be left alive," He finally said, quietly.

"Robin…" Chrom said.

"There's still time to debate this later," Robin continued. "We have several months to prepare our troops. Perhaps we could even cash-in our good faith with the Valmese to bolster our forces. We need time to gather whatever boats we can get our hands on, weapons…"

I didn't care what Robin said. I really hoped he wouldn't come to that conclusion. I knew that he could come back, but that was in another life. Another world. There was no telling what would happen if he sacrificed himself in this one. And I wouldn't allow him to make a sacrifice that great. He deserved better than that.

I don't want to lose anyone else. Even you.

We departed from Wyval later that week. Our wounds were healed and scarred over, and the Exalted Falchion and completed Fire Emblem were with us. We would travel back to Rudol, recruit as many to our cause as was possible, and then travel back to Archanea with our new war fleet. Our likely target when that happened would be the port city of Warreth, in southern Ylisse.

It'd been years since I was last there. Back when I was in the worst mental state I'd ever been in. No matter how many lows I'd had since then, nothing would compare to that. It always served to remind me that the darkest part of my life was over. The night didn't last forever.

And that's what it all amounted to. We were all fighting for a better future. To avert the doomed one our children left behind. They traveled back in time from their darkest hour to help us borne a brighter morning. I'd long stopped seeing the world I lived in as fake, as a story, if I ever truly did at all. It was my life. I had a wife, a child from the future with another one on the way. Whatever Ylisse was to me before, it was home to me then. And nothing would change that.

Grima won't take that from me. I refuse to lose everything I love again.

And, with that, I can safely say that we're in the endgame now. From this point onward, we're hurtling towards the end of Awakening, and the end of this fic. It's been one hell of a ride so far, and I thank each and every one of you for sticking through it with me. It's been a learning experience, and one I won't soon forget.

Next up is the last Xenologue Chapter, and after that, we'll be heading home.

Here's a link to our Discord server: discord .gg/9XG3U7a

Hope you guys have a pleasant rest of your day!